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7 Steps to Healthy Natural Hair

Where’s My Hair? After graduating from cosmetology school, having a fundamental understanding of hair, one day I realized my hair was different from my childhood hair, in density and length, and by length, I mean not having any. Where was my hair? It was an undeniable question for so many who surrounded me friends, family members, ladies in the grocery stores. If hair grows to an inch per month if healthy, why were so many struggling with hair growth? Most were getting relaxers, so the main culprit had to be the chemical service and inadvertently unhealthy hair. Because I am committed to the overall health of hair (and finding our hair), I went beyond the theory and embarked on research into the chemical underpinnings of the mainstay product that we so willingly had slathered in our heads every six to eight weeks. This discovery revealed seven key principles to healthy hair that are now the key concepts for achieving and maintaining beautiful and healthy natural hair.

1) The Strength Is In The Curls. While researching, I began to understand that all relaxers are not created equally nor are those who apply relaxers using exact precision or superior and professional skill sets every single time. As a master stylist, I came across the most outrageous times when stylists wanted to relax. I know you have heard, hopefully not privy of, “there’s breakage on your ends (which is a serious hair challenge), so you need a relaxer”. Does this sound logical? The hair is shedding, so put a chemical on it. Ironically, damaged ends are a direct sign of unhealthy hair.

2) Precise trims can help retain hair’s moisture, length, and strength. Physical changes as brushing, combing, blow drying, and ceramic styling and setting can affect hair from the shaft all the way down to the ends. Improper handling of everyday tools could be a factor in how often one needs a trim, but the larger point is hair like a garden needs to be pruned (trimmed) in order to grow and flourish. Continuous research showed that the strength is in the curls: this resonated with me so, I made it my motto. The closest the hair is to its natural state, the more the hair will be its healthiest, purest, and strongest. Therefore, the best potential for hair to be healthy is in its natural state. This revelation prompted my quest into how best to maintain natural hair. Maintenance is the ongoing issue most clients seem to struggle with when opting the natural route. I understand clients not wanting to worry about their style morphing due to humidity or heat half way through the day, dull dry looking tresses, or social isolation for wearing a certain look.

3) One of These Is Not Like The Other. As a director of product performance, I came to the realization, through research, that hair could perform well, maintain, and reach optimum health utilizing ceramic fusion without chemicals. These oxymoronic components could not coexist; it was an easy decision to stop relaxing. If you can gain the best hair health (I found our hair!) without chemicals, then the no-brainer was not to relax.

4) More Than a Flat Iron and a Brush. Many stylists use ceramic fusion, which is not new to the beauty industry. However Ceramic Fusion Natural Hair Smoothing Technique infuses moisture, seals cuticles, and controls texture without damaging hair like Marcel irons and pressing combs.

5) Steam Therapy, a customized conditioning treatment that combines multiple conditioners to balance, detangle, hydrate, protect, and strengthen natural hair, is imperative in this process. This technique is more than grabbing a brush and using an ionic blow dryer; there must be correct layering of products and the proper usage of tools. The revelation of success is in the actual technique, consistency, and knowledge of the technique.

6) Gentle hair color, demi-permanent, provides the safest and most chemically sound method of coloring any hair type without over processing., I think every woman has tried to achieve lady-on-the-box color with single application permanent color kits, only to find our hair feel dry and brittle and watch the color turn brassy or murky. Not quite the look or feel we imagined. The deposit only color enhances natural tones by creating depth, shine, and vibrancy. The pH level can be raised too high using semi-permanent, permanent, lighteners (bleach), and even henna (the mythically safe dye), causing hair breakage.

7) A New Head of Hair. Since chemicals were part of the non-healthy hair problem, it makes sense to use a line of products to better serve natural clients. A hair and scalp analysis should be performed to understand the historical and current state of your hair and scalp beyond an educated guess. This is necessary to determine what challenge and/or disorder a client may have such as dryness, flakiness, oiliness, or perhaps dermatitis. Knowing this hair background will allow the stylist an opportunity to customize a cleanser and conditioner that will best suit specific hair needs. Customized cleansers and conditioners four goals should be to: Remove residue, Restore balance, Retain moisture, and Reinforce strength. And you thought you only needed cleansers to remove hair product build up and conditioners to soften.

Natural hair has had a bad reputation based on fear, improper regular and routine maintenance, and stigma, but now you know the seven secrets to help anyone who wants to, have beautiful, healthy natural hair. Many are simply unaware what constitutes beautiful hair. The hair must be healthy to be beautiful. And your hair is healthiest in its natural state. Debunk all you’ve been told. You, yes you, can have natural beautiful hair utilizing the right techniques and tools: Enrich. Empower. Educate.